Self-advancing coal face support system

ABSTRACT

A self-advancing coal face support system includes support shields arranged side-by-side, each support shield comprising a front roof shield, a caving shield, a packing shield and a floor sill pivotally connected together. Each support shield is movable relative to a supporting frame for the face conveyor by means of hydraulic cylinders, the floor sill including a tapered front end portion which engages bearers on the frame. The packing shield and the caving shield both include laterally movable side shields movable under the action of hydraulic thrust pistons when a correction is to be effected in the direction of advance of the support system.

United States Patent 1 Wehner et a1.

[451 June 19,1973

1 1 SELF-ADVANCING COAL FACE SUPPORT SYSTEM [75] Inventors: Karl-HeinzWehner,

Castrop-Rauxel; Willy Watermann, Dortmund-Lanstrop; Gunter Bell,Horneburg, all of Germany [73] Assignee: Klockner-Werke AG, Duisburg,

, Germany [22] Filed: June 1, 1972 [2]] Appl. No; 258,867

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data June 5, 1971 Germany P 21 28023.9

[52] US. Cl. 61/45 D, 248/357 [51] Int. Cl. E2111 23/00 [58] Field ofSearch 61/45 D; 299/31,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,910,282 10/1959 Barrett61/45 D 3,362,169 l/l968 Groetschel 61/45 D 3,570,255 3/1971Shuttleworth 61/45 D FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 832,741 1/l970Canada 61/45 D 1,948,280 1/1971 Germany 6l/45 D 1,958,322 11/1970Germany 61/45 D 212,198 0/1968 U.S.S.R 61/45 D Primary Examiner-DennisL. Taylor AttorneyMalcolm W. Fraser [57] ABSTRACT A self-advancing coalface support system includes support shields arranged side-by-side, eachsupport shield comprising a front roof shield, a caving shield, apacking shield and a floor sill pivotally connected together. Eachsupport shield is movable relative to a supporting frame for the faceconveyor by means of hydraulic cylinders, the floor sill including atapered front end por tion which engages bearers on the frame. Thepacking shield and the caving shield both include laterally mov-' ableside shields movable under the action of hydraulic thrust pistons when acorrection is to be effected in the direction of advance of the supportsystem.

3 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEuJum 91915 3.739 .586

sum 2 or: r

SELF-ADVANCING COAL FACE SUPPORT SYSTEM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION inthe advanceable abutment, bearers being provided 15 on the advanceableabutment for forming a lateral guide for the support shields.

A coal face support system of this kind operates like a coal facesupport system with jacks. After the passage of a winning machine, whichmay be guided, for example, on the supporting frame or on the channelstructure of a face conveyor laid on the supporting frame, each shieldadvances in each case in accordance with the relief of the load on theprops supporting the caving shield and in so doing uses the supportingframe as an abutment. With reverse admission of pressure to the shiftingcylinders, on the other hand, these cylinders exert the necessarybearing pressure for the face conveyor and/or the winning machine on theabutment.

Support shields of the kind mentioned at the beginning are particularlystable; they are therefore suitable in particular for the mining ofthick seams with correspondingly high seam openings.

Support shields with comparatively'short floor sills are known (SpruthStrebausbau in Stahl undLeichtmetall (Coal Face Supports in Steel andLight Metal) 1963, p. 198, FIG. 177). They require, inter alia, frontalarea roof bars carried by special props and keep open a coal face spacewhich has a comparatively small cross-section. This is not sufficientfor the large amounts of air which are required for efficient miningsystemsfln addition, it is a disadvantage thatin consequence of thesmall length of the floor sills portions of the shifting cylinders arelocated outside the open coal face space.

Support shields of the kind mentioned at the beginning are likewiseknown from Offenlegungsschrift No. 1958322. These shields haverelatively long floor sills. This'is the reason not only for theirstability, but also for the size of the face space kept open by them,which is adequate for efficient mining. On the other hand, the supportshields are lacking in all facilities for excluding the penetration ofrubble into the face space between the shields. The support shields musttherefore be immediately adjacent one another.

Of course, support shields are also known which consist of an inclinedcaving shield and a head plate serving to support the still unbrokencoal face roof (Journal Glueckauf" 103 (1967), No. 20, pp. 1013 to1014). Although a support shield of this kind keeps open a coal facespace which is comparatively small and of inadequate size for modernwinning systems, it is provided on one side with movable side shieldssupported on side shields corresponding to them and which are fixed tothe neighboring support shield. The movable side shields are supportedresiliently by means of a telescopic guide onthe caving shield and arethereby so biased that they are applied so firmly against thecorresponding fixed side shields of the neighboring support frame that areliable seal is produced.

The self-advancing coal face support system with the known supportshields does not cause any particular difficulties as long as thesupport shields retain the direction of advance specified for them. Insupport shields with comparatively long floor sills, however, there is aconsiderable increase in the risk of the shields sideslipping in spiteof the lateral guides provided on the advanceable abutment. With thisthere is linked a swinging of the support shields and a change in theirdirection of advance, which must be corrected. Since, because of therequired sealing of the coal face space against the penetration ofstowing material or dirt, the support shields must be supported on oneanother either directly or by way of. the side shields, the correctionof the direction of advance entails exceptional difficulties. These arestill an obstacle to the utilization of the special advantages of shieldsupport systems.

The principal object of the present invention is the provision ofsupport shields with means for correction of their direction of advancewithout changes in the basic structure of such shields and in particularthe endangering of the seal against the penetration of rubble or stowingmaterial becoming necessary for this purpose.

SUMMARY OF 'THE INVENTION According to the invention, the floor sills ofthe support shields have sections the longitudinal sides of which aresupported against the associated bearers, the front and rear end of eachfloor sill being tapered and the packing shield and the caving shieldbeing provided adjacent the rear end of the floor sill with laterallymovable shields which are supported on corresponding side shields of therespective support. shield and screen the coal face space against thepenetration of rubble. The movable side shields are supported onhydraulic thrust piston drives to which pressure can be admitted toswing the support shields when a correction of the direction of advanceis required.

The invention provides a shield support system for coal face spaces oflarge cross-section, and thereby for efficient mining systems, withreliable sealing against the penetration of rubble with the aid of sideshields which, inconsequence of their support on thrust piston drives,perform an additional function. This consists in swinging the rear endof a support shield by retracting or extending the thrust pistons and inthis way producing a correction of the direction of advance of thesupportshields. This swinging movement is rendered possible by thetapering of the ends of-the floor sills and is effected without thesealing of the face space being lost. This movement therefore cannot beblocked by loose rock in the face space.

Thepossibility of swinging the support shields isall the greater thelonger and narrower the floor sill ends are. The section of each supportshield which is supported by means of its longitudinal sides against theassociated bearers therefore only needs to be long enough to be able toaccommodate the props or rams supporting thecaving shield, because theguiding func tion of the bearers is supplemented by the guiding actionwhich is produced by theside shields.

It has been found advantageous to taper'forwardly the front floor sillend introduced into the opening in the advanceable abutment. In thisway, an increase in the swinging range of the floor sills is achieved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. is a plan view of the floor sillsof two support shields with a conveyor supporting frame.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The coal face support systemshown in the drawings includes support shields each of which has a frontroof shield 1 supporting the still unbroken roof zone. This roof shieldis articulated to a caving shield 2 at 3 and the caving shield isattached in turn at 4 by means of ajoint to a packing shield 5. Thepacking shield is connected immovably by means of transverse bolts 6 and7 to a floor sill designated generally by the reference 8. Hydraulicrams act between the floor sill 8 and the caving shield 2. By means ofone or more shifting cylinders 9, which are designed so that they aredouble-acting, the support system can be advanced by using a'supportingframe 10 extending along the coal face (not shown) as an advanceableabutment; with reverse admission of pressure to the shifting cylinder orcylinders 9, a face conveyor 11 laid on the supporting frame 10 is heldagainst the coal face with the necessary contact pressure.

In the advanceable abutment described there are openings 12 into whichtapered front ends 13 of the floor sill 8 are introduced in each case.As shown in FIG. 2, the supporting frame 10 consists of individualsections 14 and 15 which are articulated to one another by means ofball-and-socket joints 16 so that they are swingable horizontally andvertically. These sections have the same length as the sections of thechannel structure of the conveyor 11. At the joints of each two framesections 14 and 15 adjacent one another in the supporting frame 10 thereare plates 17 and 18, respectively, for receiving horizontal link pins19 serving to articulate bearers 20 which form lateral guides for thesupport shields.

The support shield floor sills have intermediate sections 21 and 22. Atthe longitudinal sides of these sections there are ridges 23 and 24,respectively, which are supported on the respective longitudinal sidesof the bearer 20. Adjacent the sections 21 and 22 at the front are thefloor sill ends 13 which are introduced into the openings 12 in theframe sections 14 and 15. In the embodiment illustrated, these fromfloor sill ends 13 are tapered forwardly. Adjacent and to the rear ofsections 21 and 22 are rear floor sill ends 27 and 28, respectively,which are reduced on both sides.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the region of the rear floor sill ends 27 and 28,the packing shield 5 and the caving shield 2 are provided with laterallymovable shields 30,31. These are supported on thrust piston drives at33. Fixed side shields 34 and 35 correspond to the side shields 30, 31and are movable by means of the thrust piston drives. Supporting theshields on one another protects the coal face space against thepenetration of rubble. The arrangement of the thrust piston drives ismoreover shown in FIG. 4.

The caving shields 2 and the packing shields 5 each consist of a weldedstructure which is formed by an outer plate 36 and an inner plate 37.These plates are interconnected by a plurality of cross-pieces 38 to 40and 41 to 43. A tube 44 extends through the crosspieces 38, 39 andserves to accommodate a cylinder 45 of a thrust piston drive. The thrustpiston drive is fixed to the cross-piece 40 by a bolt 46. i

The thrust piston acts through a piston rod 47 and a 'joint 48 on atubular support 49 which supports the side shield in question. The sideshield for its part consists of two plates 51 and 52 disposed at anangle to one another and welded together at 50. The plate 52 is appliedagainst the outer plate 36 of the shield and the plate 51 is supportedon the adjacent side shield. A tube 53 extending through thecross-pieces 41, 42, 43 and fixed to them serves to guide the tubularsupport 49.

By retracting and extending the thrust piston in the cylinder 45, thesupport shields can be swung within the limits of the play or movementof the bearers 20, as a result of which correction of the direction ofadvanceis possible.

What is claimed is:

l. A self-advancing coal face support system with support shieldsarranged side by side, the support shields comprising a front roofshield, a caving shield hingedly connected thereto, a packing shieldarticulated to the caving shield and a floor sill, and being articulatedby means of one or more shifting cylinders to an advanceable abutmentextending through the coal face, in particular a supporting frame forthe face conveyor, and being introduced by means of a front sill endinto an opening provided inthe advanceable abutment, bearers beingprovided on the advanceable abutment for forming a lateral guide for thesupport shields, the floor sills of the support shields includingsections and longitudinal sides of which are supported against theassociated bearers, the front and rear end of each floor sill beingtapered and the packing shield and the caving shield being providedadjacent the rear end of the sill with laterally movable shields whichare supported on corresponding side shields of the respective supportshield and screen the coal face space against the penetration of rubble,and the laterally movable shields permitting swinging of the supportshield when a correc tion of their direction of advance is required.

2. A support system according to claim 1, wherein the front floor sillend introduced into the opening of the advanceable abutment tapersforwardly.

3. A support system according to claim 1, wherein hydraulic thrustpiston mechanisms act between each movable shield and the associatedside shield.

1. A self-advancing coal face support system with support shieldsarranged side by side, the support shields comprising a front roofshield, a caving shield hingedly connected thereto, a packing shieldarticulated to the caving shield and a floor sill, and being articulatedby means of one or more shifting cylinders to an advanceable abutmentextending through the coal face, in particular a supporting frame forthe face conveyor, and being introduced by means of a front sill endinto an opening provided in the advanceable abutment, bearers beingprovided on the advanceable abutment for forming a lateral guide for thesupport shields, the floor sills of the support shields includingsections and longitudinal sides of which are supported against theassociated bearers, the front and rear end of each floor sill beingtapered and the packing shield and the caving shield being providedadjacent the rear end of the sill with laterally movable shields whichare supported on corresponding side shields of the respective supportshield and screen the coal face space against the penetration of rubble,and the laterally movable shields permitting swinging of the supportshield when a correction of their direction of advance is required.
 2. Asupport system according to claim 1, wherein the front floor sill endintroduced into the opening of the advanceable abutment tapersforwardly.
 3. A support system according to claim 1, wherein hydraulicthrust piston mechanisms act between each movable shield and theassociated side shield.